


Evermore

by jeigers



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Beauty and the Beast, F/F, F/M, M/M, Will add tags as I go, cause ya know atla, dragon!zuko, he's not a dragon dragon he's more of a hybrid beast, i mean it's exactly like in beauty and the beast but instead of like a buffalo??? he's a dragon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:21:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26484847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeigers/pseuds/jeigers
Summary: Katara was tired of not being able to waterbend, Sokka got that okay? He really did, but that didn't mean she had to leave as early as she could to go loot an abandoned castle. Sokka worried and she knew that. But she also knew he wouldn't intervene on this.Maybe he should have.---Or a Beauty and the Beast AU!!
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 53
Kudos: 139





	1. In which Sokka learns to never let his sister leave on her own

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara is late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyy, this story wouldn't be able to exist without the help of Sydney (@thebiggestyamfan on here)!! thank you for commenting on the something there animatic it's been a blast talking about this au! she's also writing a fic for this same au so you should go check it out!
> 
> this is my first time writing a proper fic so please have mercy lol

Katara was late.

Katara was late and Sokka was freaking out.

He had been sitting on the stairs that lead to their front door waiting for his sister since he found the note that morning. Sokka had fallen asleep over his work again, his desk was starting to be more of a bed than the one he had in his tiny room next door. The note was next to his latest project, written in what could only be his sister’s messy cursive. Katara was nowhere to be found, and neither was her polar bear dog.

_Sokka, good morning you asshole, did you really have to stay up all night doing all that racket?? You know some of us have to sleep right?? Anyways, I went to the abandoned castle, don’t come looking for me, I_ will _go get those scrolls. I’ll be back before sundown. – the soon to be a master water bender._

He kept fidgeting with the little note, trying to ease his nerves. It had been exactly thirty minutes since sundown and there was no sign of his sister. He had gone looking for Toph earlier to check if Katara had told her anything else about her unannounced trip, but she had nothing to say about it. Only that she’d let him know if she heard Katara entering the borders of the town.

Sokka stood abruptly and started walking up the stairs and into their little home. As he step foot inside he realized just how right Katara was at saying he wasn’t as organized as he thought he was. The common room was an organized mess, but a mess nonetheless. The only place untouched by his chaos was the kitchenette and Katara’s corner. He quickly grabbed his navy-blue cloak, his old leather bag and strapped it to his waist, and his sword - he always kept his boomerang on him - along with some fruit and water for the trip and headed out through the back door.

He bit into an apple as he reached out for the bridle and the reins hanging outside next to the door. Once he had them, he started walking towards the little stable he had built when they moved to the house, his ostrich horse was waiting for him inside.

“Hey boy, you gotta help me go find Katara.” Sokka ruffled the animal’s feathers as he put the bridle on. The ostrich horse, already used to the feeling of the bridle, didn’t complain or move as Sokka prepared the saddle. Once he was done, he took the last bite of his apple, threw out the heart and got on the animal, quickly positioning himself. With a soft nudge to the animal’s side, Sokka started riding in the direction of Toph’s hideout.

As he passed through the town, he bid goodnight to some of the townsfolk. Most were already inside but some of them were just getting home from a long day in the fields, they gave him side glances but still greeted him in return. Sokka was already used to this behavior from the people of the town, it had been two years since they had moved but the stares and gossip where still going around. Sighing he looked forward, realizing he had arrived at Toph’s place.

He got off the ostrich horse knowing the blind earth bender would know he had arrived, passing the reins over the animal’s head so he could tie him up by a tree next to the hideout.

“Do my feet deceive me or is my favorite science maniac paying me a visit once again?” Toph announced herself with a grin. She was wearing her usual attire, rather than the delicate dresses her mother insisted she should wear. “Where’s Katara?”

“She never returned, I’m going after her. Should get to the castle in a few hours.” Sokka said, straightening his back, “It’s getting late and I really don’t want Katara to be out in the woods on her own.”

“Sokka you do know there are moose lions in those woods, right?” Toph asked. Sokka did know, he just didn’t want to acknowledge it.

“She’s going to be alright, she knows how to handle herself.” Sokka sighed, he really didn’t want to think about Katara being on her own at night in the woods. He believed in her and her knife skills but those really weren’t going to be useful if more than one moose lion cornered her. Even basic water bending couldn’t get her out of that.

Sokka shook his head and cleared his throat, “Anyways I better go before it goes completely dark, just came to let you know I’m not going to be home. If anyone gets curious just tell them we’ll be back soon.”

As he started walking towards his ostrich horse, he felt Toph’s hand wrap around his wrist, “Hey wolf tail, be careful okay? No boomerang can save you from the creatures that roam in those woods.” Her tone had shifted completely, “There are many stories going around.”

“And they’re that, stories. It’s in the name.” Toph didn’t exactly look reassured but she let it go, “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, and if I’m not back by then, don’t let anyone go near the self-watering system, bye!”

Sokka untied the ostrich horse from the tree and pushing himself from the ground with his right leg he mounted it. Sokka steadied himself and with a soft shove to its side the animal started walking.

He turned his head and gave one last look at Toph before sighing and nudging the animal to go faster.

-

Sokka was getting sick and tired of the woods.

The moonlight barely passed through the heavy canopy of the trees, giving everything an eerie look. He had gone a few minutes into the woods without turning on the little candle lamp until he realized he didn’t know in which direction he was going.

He could hear the distant call of different animals. Sokka was tense and on guard, ready for anything that could try to attack him.

The more he drifted into the woods the more uneasy he became. The wind was picking up, almost blowing out his lamp. There were no signs that showed anyone had gone through the trail in a long time. Sokka couldn’t see his knuckles through his fingerless gloves, but he knew they’d be white from gripping the reins with such strength. He couldn’t stop thinking about how he should have been able to convince Katara that going to an abandoned castle was a stupid idea, but of course, he had failed. His sister was as headstrong as anyone in their family.

A low scraping noise was what brought his attention back to the world around him.

It was soft but Sokka would recognize the sudden noise of the hinges of a rusty metal door. He grabbed the reins and stopped the animal, listening. The creaking came from his left, so he turned the animal and gave it a nudge with the back of his boots, urging the ostrich horse to start galloping.

The woods were a blur at either of his sides. Their pace quickened by the second, Sokka wanted to get to the noise as soon as he possibly could, so overworking his ostrich horse wasn’t one of his main concerns at the moment. They kept going, the only thing Sokka could think of is Katara. There was no sign of her or her polar bear dog in the woods, no paw prints, no white fur, not nothing. He was starting to get frantic when he saw it.

A crumbling stone arc with a rusty metal gate, that was almost falling off its hinges. A low stone wall following from each side of the arc, covered by overgrown plants, some dead, some impossibly wild. It was what was behind the gate that caught his attention though.

Big didn’t even come close to describing it. A gigantic castle with walls as black as the night sky stood behind the arc. The once smooth walls of the vast building now scarred and decayed, from the distance it almost seemed scorched. Sokka couldn’t believe it, he knew there was a castle somewhere in the woods, he’d heard the townsfolk talk about it enough. However, he'd never actually processed that information. No one knew anything about it, only that it had been abandoned. Maybe he should have asked Toph about those stories, but he could only think about whether Katara was safe or not.

The second thing that caught Sokka off guard was the snow. Spirits, he had missed the snow. Ever since they had moved to this town, snow had been a rare sight, but both siblings missed it dearly.

He got off the ostrich horse, pulling the reins over its head as he went down, being careful not to push the candle lamp from the little structure he had added to the saddle. He heard the familiar crunch of his boots hitting the thin layer of snow as he dismounted.

He held the reins with one hand and with the other he unsheathed his sword, it’d be dumb of him to think he could fight off a moose lion with a boomerang, though he’d never admit it out loud.

He started walking towards the castle, being careful not to make any sound, which was a difficult task considering he had to open a rusty gate. With as much care as one could, Sokka slowly opened the gate with the hand he had the sword, keeping it steady so his ostrich horse could pass. Once they were both on the other side, he gently let the gate go, leaving it in the same place it was before.

The closer he got to the castle, the more accurate he realized his observation had been. The west wing of the castle had been completely burned and was now crumbling. He turned to look at his ostrich horse, as if waiting for the animal to say something to him, but a surprisingly not frozen over pond piqued his curiosity.

Sokka got closer to the pond and saw that there were plenty of white lotuses growing there. Confused as to how they were surviving in the cold water he reached out to grab one, when from the corner of his eye he saw Katara’s polar bear dog.

“No, no this isn’t happening.” Sokka dropped the reins and ran towards the white fluffy animal. The polar bear dog was intact, no injuries, no nothing.

No Katara.

“Hey, it’s okay it’s me.” He reassured the animal, petting its huge head, “Where’s Katara?” The polar bear dog whimpered but guided Sokka towards the entrance of the castle, thankfully his ostrich horse started following them.

The castle was even more intimidating up close. A huge set of stairs covered in a thin layer of ice and snow lead to the massive front door. He instructed both animals to stay there until he and Katara got back, knowing they at least knew how to stay. He reaffirmed his grip on his sword and started walking, step by step towards the door.

Walking on ice proved to be more difficult than he remembered, especially since he wasn’t wearing the correct footwear, but he was able to get to the top without slipping and falling. He turned his head back to see if the animals were still staying where they should be and sighed in relief when he saw them.

That’s when he heard the creaking noise of someone opening a door. Turning his head back in that direction, he noticed that the once closed gates were now slightly open. Perplexed, he headed that way, readying his sword. He glanced towards the animals one last time before placing a hand on one of the heavy wood doors and opening it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! thank you for reading! you can find me on my tumblr @delfisdoodles or @gracedbill! (please come talk to me about zukka i love them)
> 
> also here's a quick reference i drew of the boys! https://delfisdoodles.tumblr.com/post/629284555892850688/beauty-and-the-beast-hello-i-havent-been-able-to


	2. In which Sokka learns to never steal from a dragon's hoard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sokka finds Katara and a surprisingly well kept castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello I'm back with a new chapter!! Thank you to everyone who read the first chapter! I'm so happy others are enjoying this au as much as I am <3

The first thing Sokka noticed was just how empty the castle was, which was strange considering someone had just opened the door for him.

The second thing he noticed was how the main hall was surprisingly well preserved, seeing as the castle had supposedly been abandoned for years.

No signs of dust or ashes anywhere. _Huh, weird._

Aside from what seemed to be a waiting hall, there was a grand staircase that was later divided in two. _One probably leads to the scorched wing_ , Sokka thought. The waiting hall was super spacious, he could probably fit his little house in this room. The floors had a very distinct pattern in tones of dark red, black and gold, making the white walls stand out. The dark furniture in the room was well cared for and went perfectly with the distinctive floor pattern. The detailing in the columns and the furniture seemed to be made of pure gold, reflecting the moonlight that entered through the massive windows.

There was also no sign of anyone being carried against their will through the halls so that was good news.

“Wait this could mean Katara’s still here.” Sokka thought out loud, eyes going wide. He dropped his arms to his sides, still firmly gripping his sword, and contemplated whether he should run through the whole castle looking for her or screaming and waiting for her to reply.

He thought about what to do for a whole minute before readjusting his wolf tail and heading upstairs, taking the right side. Walking two steps at a time, he got to the top fairly quickly, watching his back for any movement.

As he got to the half stair landing, he saw to his left a little hallway. Sokka walked towards it when he felt a wind current, making his cloak gently move behind him. As soon as the wind stopped, he heard it.

Coughing.

Sokka started running up the narrow snail stone staircase, not even taking any of the precautions one should take when running with a sword in hand. Precautions weren’t important right now, he had to get to Katara. He had to know if she was alright.

He didn’t know what he would do if Katara was in bad shape.

As he got to the top of the stairs, he realized he was in one of the castle towers.

What Sokka _didn’t_ realize was that he was in, what he presumed, the dungeons area. The stairs kept going on around the tower but in the middle of the tower there were empty cells.

He saw Katara’s distinctive blue dress before hearing her cough again.

Sokka ran towards her as she was about to start coughing again. Almost tripping over his own feet, dropping his sword in the process. He got to the cell door and clung to it. Katara was sitting cross legged, Sokka could see she was gripping her cloak as to cover herself form the cold, but it clearly wasn’t working. She was shaking too much, Sokka winced. She was looking outside the hole like window her cell had when she heard him.

“Katara, oh spirits, are you alright?” Sokka tried to pull open the cell door, but it wasn’t budging. Katara, turned her head, eyes widening.

“Sokka?” Her voice was small and soft, as if she couldn’t believe he was there, “Wha- How did you get here?” She stood quickly and walked in his direction, looking outside the cell worried, her eyes moving franticly from left to right. Sokka saw her frowning, and thinking, and then she looked him directly in the eyes, “Did anyone see you come in? Did he see you?”

_See me?_

“Katara, there’s no one here. Who would see me?” He reached his arm through the cell gate and placed it on his sister’s forehead. She was burning. Sokka cursed under his breath. “Katara you’re running a fever I have to get you out of here.”

Katara pushed his hand away and walked backwards, putting a lose hair strand behind her ear. She looked up and Sokka could see the cogs moving in her head, “Sokka you _have_ to get out of here right now, I can’t let him get you too.”

“Katara _no one_ is going to get me, the castle has been abandoned for years.”

“Sokka if there’s no one here how do you think I got inside the cell?” Katara whisper yelled.

_Oh_ , he hadn’t thought about that. Finding his sister was all that mattered to him, he might have ignored any other details.

“Sokka, you really have to leave,” She gulped, “The beast has to be nearby and he can’t see you.” 

“Beast? Katara what are you talking about?” He was desperate now, trying to open the gate. Katara’s fever was getting worse, he had to get her to town and get a doctor immediately. If only Toph could feel his emotions all the way from the town, she’d know something was wrong.

Just as Katara was opening her mouth he heard the flap of wings behind him and a heavy landing. He looked up and saw Katara’s terrified face. 

“What do you think you’re doing with my prisoner.” A very deep, rough voice said behind him. Sokka winced, he looked at Katara one last time before turning around.

He had heard wings, but he really wasn’t expecting this.

The first thing Sokka noticed was how he had to tilt his head backwards to see eye to eye with what he figured might be Katara’s previously mentioned beast.

_Oh shit._

The moonlight wasn’t as present as it was in the main hall, but it still gave him a source of light.

Okay so there _was_ a beast and Katara _wasn’t_ hallucinating. Sokka couldn’t see clearly, but the soft light filtering through the tower’s window was enough for him to distinguish the outline of the huge beast.

The horns would have caught him by surprise if he hadn’t seen the beast’s eyes first. Sokka could now say he had never seen real gold until this day.

“What do you think you are doing with my prisoner, do _not_ make me repeat myself again.” The beast spoke, his voice rougher than before. Realizing this was probably the one who had imprisoned his sister, he looked at the beast frowning.

“Prisoner? And what did my dear sister do to receive that title?” Sokka’s voice was firm, but he kept looking back at Katara, who was now violently shaking. He had to get her to the town immediately.

“As a matter of fact, your _dear_ sister was trying to steal from me.” The beast growled, “No one steals from my property.”

“What can I do for you to let her leave.” At that, Katara’s eyes shot open. She wanted to say something but as soon as she opened her mouth she coughed. Sokka kneeled down, checking on her.

“There’s nothing you can do. She’ll be my prisoner until the day of her death.” The beast spoke, and Sokka turned to look at him.

“Forever!? She can give you back whatever it is she stole from you and then we can leave. You’ll never have to see us again, I promise.” Katara was still shaking, and Sokka’s concern was growing by the second.

“She stays, and I’m letting you go as a warning. The townsfolk will now know what happens when you come here uninvited.”

Sokka looked back at Katara. She was shaking, but her stare was firm. Sokka knew she wouldn’t let him do anything other than what the beast was ordering, so he sighed defeated.

“Can I at least say goodbye?” His voice was small, he was looking directly at Katara. The beast seemed to be thinking about Sokka’s request.

“I will grant you this one mercy, but once that door closes, it will never open again.” The beast’s word was final, but that had given him an idea.

“Never again?” Sokka repeated, if the door would really never open again then this was his only chance at saving Katara.

“Nevermore.”

Okay, Sokka could do this.

He pushed the door with little force and it surprisingly opened. _Magic_ , Sokka thought. He had always preferred science over magic, or bending. Once he opened it, he looked back at the beast and then ran for Katara, hugging her.

“Spirits, Katara you’re ice cold.” He took his cloak off and wrapped it over her shoulders. He helped her stand up and positioned her next to the door, hugging her once more. Katara wrapped her arms around him just as tight as he was doing. 

“Please take care of the animals, and the house.” He could hear Katara’s teeth chattering. He hugged her tighter than before and then whispered in her ear.

“I’m going to find a way out don’t worry.” Before Katara had the chance to process what he had said, Sokka pushed her out of the cell, the door magically closing. “Katara, my ostrich horse is outside, there’s some food in the b-“

Katara grabbed the bars from the door and pressed her face to it, “Are you out of your goddamned mind? Spirits Sokka why did you do that?”

“I promised our parents I was going to keep you safe. I’m doing exactly that.” He walked to the door trying to reach Katara when their conversation was cut short.

“That’s it you’re leaving right now, get out of my property.” The beast growled grabbing Katara by the shoulder.

“Get your claws _off_ me, I can walk fine on my own.” Katara replied furiously, grabbing her shoulder and flinching. She looked back at Sokka, “If you don’t come back home, I’ll save you myself.”

Sokka smiled and nodded, “I’ll see you soon, I promise.”

Katara started walking towards the stairs, followed by the beast. Sokka watched them leave until he couldn’t see them anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I discovered writing is truly an almost impossible task, it's so difficult oh my god,,
> 
> Anyways, as much as I complained about writing this, it was also a lot of fun. Please have mercy on my shitty writing skills :'"")))) 
> 
> Come talk to me about this au, i literally cant stop thinking about it, my tumblr is @delfisdoodles or @gracedbill :D
> 
> See you soon!!


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